Barest Concerns
by NoteEmmy
Summary: Kaiba has a round of beta testing for his new project. He's not sure why Anzu showed up but he can put her to good use. Except when the program crashes and he has to forcibly pull her out.


Kaiba was surprised at the turn out. Then again, when you offered money anyone would show up to do almost anything. The beta testing of his new virtual reality system was not going to be without its problems, and only those who signed the lengthy liability waiver waiting for them at the door would be "rewarded". A handful chickened out, a few didn't make it past pre-testing; in the end it left him with a room full of hopefuls, none of which he cared about. He just wanted to perfect his product. And the only way to make sure it worked with actual people was to put them in the pods.

He, of course, couldn't be bothered with the greeting and any other trivial processes that went into getting people in the room and into the pods. As such he was busy standing behind two way glass, stationed at one of the few control panels in the room. As he looked up from his rigorous code check he was almost surprised to see a glaringly familiar face. It didn't make sense to him why she would be there. This wasn't exactly a game designed for her demographic, nor was it one he was sure she would excel at. She'd never been very good at games from what he recalled.

In the end it didn't matter. She was here, she must have signed the release form, she would get in and test away like everyone else. He put the thought of why away from his mind. None of it mattered. All that mattered were results and maybe she would be put to good use. Maybe her results would help him hone his market a little better. Perhaps he could broaden the game's horizons with her here. None of that anyone needed to know, though, she could have been any other female. For all he cared, she was. A faceless woman that he could get results from. It was no different from any other work day.

The first few rounds of testing proved to be of good use. The few men that had been selected first went in and played without any real problems. It was all good data. Kaiba observed each one individually for only moments at a time, scrolling through each play screen as they went along. That group was released and another went in. Again only men and all seemed to be testing very well. If he cared about such a thing, they were certainly earning the small fee they were going to be paid.

And then, of course as with everything involving Yuugi's little group of friends, a problem arose.

Anzu stepped up to the testing pod, a little anxious. The last two times she'd been near these things only bad things had happened. She was a little foolish, she knew, coming here in hopes of maybe catching up with Kaiba. No one had seen much of him since the end of all their adventures together. It wasn't healthy, and she might not have been the best person, but she could take an opportunity when one arose. …it also helped a little that she needed cash desperately to further her dance career and Kaiba Corporation was paying quite a lot for these testers. She wasn't stupid. She knew that meant it was probably dangerous (as the cramps in her hand from signing so many forms could attest to); she was already here and getting closer so go with it she would.

She could feel his eyes on her though she couldn't see him. Probably watching from a camera or something similar. A sigh escaped her. Really what was she thinking? He wouldn't greet anyone. He wouldn't wish them good luck. Kaiba had never been that kind of person. All she could do now was maybe pull off a spectacular game and maybe he'd come out of hiding to look at the results. It was all moot though as she laid down inside the pod and the blackness overtook her when the door closed.

For the first few minutes as Kaiba observed things went fine. And then almost predictably the panel went haywire. He wasn't sure what she'd done but the code was wrapping around itself, almost twisting violently in an attempt to wipe her clean- like she was a virus that had invaded the system. It wasn't exactly the sort of thing he'd been prepared for.

Cruel words were quick to his tongue, _bring up her forms, she's finished_. Anyone else and he might have. Honestly he didn't care. But as the inside pod cam watched her body twitch violently he couldn't help think of the media backlash. She was forever entwined with Yuugi- who was famous. She had some sort of notoriety that followed her. And she was a young woman.

"Shit."

The word was dark as he moved from his chair, opening the secret door that conjoined the two rooms and went to the release panel on the pod. None of his passwords seemed to want to get it open, and trying to override the system only seemed to make it angrier. He was going to lose her this way, but forcibly opening the pod was almost impossible- and just as risky. But it was the only choice left to him.

His finely manicured nails wedged underneath the crevices of the glass before he could pry his fingers inside to try and force it up. Kaiba wasn't the strongest man, and days with only surviving on coffee and no sleep at all left him shaking almost immediately from the effort. There was a grunt of exertion as he tried harder once he saw through the glass, watching her seize quicker.

All of a sudden it seemed to stop, the darkened plexiglass door groaned on its hinges as it whipped up much faster than it was intended to do. The edge caught the side of Kaiba's face, causing him to reel slightly in surprise. There wasn't a lot of time to do much about it as he moved to lean over her, hands going to her shoulders to try and get her up out of the machine's clutches.

That seemed to be all it took. For a moment she was sure she was going to die. A monster had attacked her and all she could do was defend before the world seemed to collapse in on itself. She felt fire raking up her body and she tried to fight with all her might. The feeling worsened and darkened before she found herself facing a broad body and sharp pair of blue eyes. Her hands went up instinctively to shove the offender away.

"Stop!"

The lone cry was more than enough to get Kaiba to back off. Once he'd seen her eyes open he was ready to retreat but he'd kept on for a moment longer than necessary. Exhaustion was creeping quickly in on him now that he'd put so much energy into getting her door open- it was the only reason he'd stayed so long.

Anzu sat up quickly, panting for a reason she didn't quite understand. Her eyes went up to Kaiba and the slow realization that perhaps he had done something to help her seeped in. The world had crashed. Surely Kaiba was trying to get her out. Why he did it was beyond her comprehension right then as her heart was still beating erratically.

Kaiba turned away from her, mood darkened for the worse. "Get a clean up team and tech in here _now." _ It was unfortunate that after the order was issued his head shook with dizziness and he was forced to sit in a nearby chair to try and fix his situation. "…and call Mokuba." He'd need his brother to take over. This was too much to ignore now. As much as it pained him he'd have to go home. Working like this would only bring in failure and he couldn't afford that in this stage of the project.

She watched him sit back, run a hand along his temples and back through his hair before glowering and crossing his arms. She wasn't sure why he wasn't leaving, maybe he needed to convene with his team. Yes, that made sense. Slowly she got up out of her pod, having a little trouble standing on her own, her legs a bit wobbly. Kaiba wasn't even paying attention to her troubles, which suited her just fine. She needed to get out of here.

It seemed an impossible task as she watched Kaiba lean harder back against the wall, mood darkening with each second. He looked a bit ill. A frown appeared on her lips and she edged closer, finally seeing the deep cut on the opposite side of his face. Had that happened when he'd tried to get her out?

Kaiba was doing his best to ignore her. The sooner she left the better. Of course she wouldn't go without causing him more headache, however. She approached, pulling a pink handkerchief from her pocket and Kaiba knew exactly what she was intending to do with it. The side of his face was burning and he couldn't ignore the warm slide of liquid along his cheek. It didn't matter, though, a small scratch. His glare was intense and he set it upon her as she got closer.

No words were passed between them. He was daring her, daring her to be so stupid as to touch him with her stupid cloth. And she did it anyway. She ignored the glare, reaching out and cleaning the blood from his face. He really must have been tired. He allowed her to do so before a steel grip wrapped around her wrist and then shoved her away.

"I don't need that."

Her lips pursed. "Don't be stupid."

His eyes narrowed. "Go now before I rescind your pay for the day." What threats worked on this woman? He wasn't entirely familiar with her.

She stepped forward again. "I don't care about that." The man who was usually so strong and proud suddenly looked fragile and hurt, despite his pouting. The cloth dabbed at his face again and this time he seemed like he was going to stand. Anzu quickly, and rather boldly, put a hand on his shoulder to keep him still. "If you let me clean your face I'll leave and you won't hear from me again for a while." She could spot his need to maintain his pride and distance a mile away. A man like this was easily played.

And it worked. Though the glare got worse for a moment he let up, easing back into his chair. He let her clean the rest of his face, not moving an inch as the pain stung along his face and down his jaw, up into his head. None of it mattered. He just continued staring at the woman until she broke, eyes averting. At least that was a mild victory in and of itself. And when he'd had enough, when he was sure he could without being forced by his body to sit again, he stood and pushed her back by presence alone.

"Security will show you out." And also make sure she upheld her promise to keep away.

She sighed before slipping the cloth back into her pocket and heading for the door. There was only a small look back. "…thanks, Kaiba." It wasn't entirely apparent to her and she'd be wondering about it for days, but she was sure that he'd kept her from dying in that game. It reminded her almost of…

"Useless woman." His back had already turned, already ignoring her, starting to look at the pod as if it was the reason things had gone haywire.

Her eyes rolled hard before she turned completely and left.


End file.
